James H. "Jim" White, Warrant Officer RAAF

[Mike K]

Hanno
James White , he was a Warrant officer which I think was the rank between a F/sergeant and a Pilot Officer ? We had a look on the NAA website but his service records have not been released yet. Think you can pay the NAA a fee and they upload the records.

The post card with the names in red, I think these guys were the trainee pilots onboard the ship that went to Canada with Jim. SFTS = Secondary Flying Training School

[Mike K]

Lineup of JU88 ? aircraft was taken just after the war , think Jim went over to have a look around but I will ask Phil for more info. Primary school Neerim South. And Harvards ?

[Keith Webb]

What a great series of photos and stories. The German aircraft look like Ju188, a development of the Ju88.

It was a fairly common exercise for Australian pilots and navigators (observers) to be sent to Canada for their SFTS which stands for Service Flying Training School.

Thanks for sharing these Mike.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Hanno
James White , he was a Warrant officer which I think was the rank between a F/sergeant and a Pilot Officer ? We had a look on the NAA website but his service records have not been released yet. Think you can pay the NAA a fee and they upload the records.

The post card with the names in red, I think these guys were the trainee pilots onboard the ship that went to Canada with Jim. SFTS = Secondary Flying Training School

Thanks Mike,

I have changed the title of this thread to his name as a little trubute to the man and his deeds. Also merged with an earlier thread of you. Hope that's alright with you. Thanks for sharing this story.

[Keith Webb]

The photo outside a Nissan hut looks like it might have been at his Elementary Flying Training School in Australia. The Harvard/Yale data sheet would indicate that at his SFTS in Canada he was being streamed for single engine aircraft, but on arrival in the UK many of those were reclassified for multi engine training which was likely where the demand was.

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Hanno
James White , he was a Warrant officer which I think was the rank between a F/sergeant and a Pilot Officer ? We had a look on the NAA website but his service records have not been released yet. Think you can pay the NAA a fee and they upload the records.

The post card with the names in red, I think these guys were the trainee pilots onboard the ship that went to Canada with Jim. SFTS = Secondary Flying Training School

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

The photo outside a Nissan hut looks like it might have been at his Elementary Flying Training School in Australia. The Harvard/Yale data sheet would indicate that at his SFTS in Canada he was being streamed for single engine aircraft, but on arrival in the UK many of those were reclassified for multi engine training which was likely where the demand was.

Ok yes that all adds up with what the photos are describing . Never heard of a YALE aircraft ? Was it a Canadian design ? OK found this
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_NA-64_Yale

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Ok yes that all adds up with what the photos are describing . Never heard of a YALE aircraft ? Was it a Canadian design ? OK found this
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_NA-64_Yale

One of the identical twin Payne brothers, John and Alf who became Spitfire pilots both trained in Canada on Harvards and Yales, it was a crash in a Yale ("I rolled it up into a ball") which made it easy to distinguish one from the other after Alf had a front tooth broken.

[Mike K]

James White service records are now online. The file is 39 pages long.

WHITE JAMES HENRY : Service Number - 409974 : Date of birth - 23 Apr 1921 : Place of birth - Unknown : Place of enlistment - MELBOURNE : Next of Kin - WHITE JOYCE
Contents range
1939 - 1948
Series number
A9301
Control symbol
409974
Access status
Open
Item ID
5524114

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

The photo outside a Nissan hut looks like it might have been at his Elementary Flying Training School in Australia. The Harvard/Yale data sheet would indicate that at his SFTS in Canada he was being streamed for single engine aircraft, but on arrival in the UK many of those were reclassified for multi engine training which was likely where the demand was.

Three of my father's uncles flew multi-engine aircraft in WW2. The smallest man Darryl R Paige was supposed to go to fighters, but was streamed as stated to where the need was greatest. He did all his trips, and came home with a DFC for kicking burning incendiaries out a hole in the fuselage of their Halifax. Older brothers Milton and Osborne Paige were lost on missions. My brother did a pilgrimage to Denmark for one.

My aircrew story is about the puzzlement I felt as a youngster watching these fat, gray haired, men from town marching on 11 Nov parades. There was no Legion, but a parallel veteran's service club called the Army Navy Air Force Veterans or ANAVets, which was operated "The Hut". How could Mr. Sample, Mr Beaulieu, or Mr Doherty ever have been able to fit into the cockpit of a fighter aircraft, I remember asking myself?

[Mike K]

Have found some more about Jim's crew . My friend, Jim's son, informed me that Jim had done his tour and apparently his crew still had some ops to do before finishing their tour. Sadly, some of Jim's crew werex killed in a post-war flying accident.

I believe that the picture of Jim and two of his crew, all standing with bicycles has revealed that the chap in the centre, W/O Alan Griffiths, the bomb aimer, was one of the crew who died in the accident along with 25 other occupants of the Stirling.

https://www.wartimememoriesproject.c...ew.php?pid=498

Have also confirmed that Jim flew on at least three trips towing gliders and resupply missions to 'Market Garden'. The squadron records, held in the UK national archives, reveal that Jim's aircraft towed a glider with a Jeep onboard. Jim also did a few trips over to Norway dropping SOE agents .

Part of the war diary of 299 squadron: Jim White is mentioned as taking part in 'Market' on day one and also on D+1. Market was the codename for the airborne operation and 'Garden' was the ground offensive codename. Jim White's aircraft was badly damaged by flak during another Market op D+6 .

jim.jpg crash-stirling.jpg

Market-G.jpg Market-2.jpg

[Mike K]

More comes to light !

A few days before the official German surrender was signed, 299 squadron flew over and landed on a Luftwaffe controlled airfield in Denmark. Jim's Stirling 'EASY AS EVER' can be seen in a photo of the line-up on the German controlled airfield.

I believe Jim also was involved in operation Varsity, the Rhine airborne landings. I will download more of the unit diary.

Jim did many dangerous ops and had some hair raising experiences, engines conking out and flying at low level up Norwegian fjords in the middle of the night with the throttles set at way past the red line. You would think he would have got at least got a DFM or some similar medal, no, all he got was a 'Mention in Despatches' Very sadly, he was damaged by the experiences he went through and he died young.

Looking through the dairy, the squadron did a daylight SOE drop near Brussels to supply the Belgian constabulary. The UK national archive files are free but the process is rather convoluted, you first register as a user by email , then you select the files you are interested in and place it them in the 'out basket' , they then provide you with a download link. The files are in PDF format which is handy.

[Mike K]

A few reports found in TROVE: this refers to the crash where the bomb aimer, Alan Griffiths, was one of the unfortunate victims who perished in the Stirling.

Also found JH White in the list of MiD recipients that was published in the newspaper

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) View title info Wed 27 Jun 1945